Consuelo Hernandez has been selected director of the prestigious Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program, a partnership between the Center for California Studies, Sacramento State and the State Assembly.

Hernandez took the position April 23 and will be responsible for the administration of the Assembly Fellowship program, as well as supporting other activities and projects of the Center. She will provide leadership and guidance to 18 fellows who perform the duties of legislative staff within State Assembly offices.

The Assembly Fellowship Program is one of four fellowships that make up the Capital Fellows Programs, administered by the Center in cooperation with the state legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Hernandez is the former director of Government Affairs for L.A. Care Health. Her career in public service began when she was a Chicano/Latino Legislative Caucus Fellow.

After practicing labor and employment law in California, Hernandez returned to the Legislature to work with Assemblymember and later Senator Deborah Ortiz. Hernandez received an undergraduate degree in human development from the University of California at Davis and a juris doctorate from Stanford Law School.

Hernandez replaces Robbin Lewis-Coaxum who, for eight years, contributed significantly to the success of the Center and the Capital Fellows Programs as the director of the Assembly Fellows Program. Lewis-Coaxum returned to the Assembly in January to serve as chief of staff to 62nd District Assemblymember Amina Carter.

The Center for California Studies is a public service, educational support and applied research institute of Sacramento State. It is dedicated to promoting a better understanding of California’s government, politics, peoples, cultures and history.

For more information, contact the center for California Studies at (916) 278-6906.